Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.36
Liaison Patricia Huynh
Submission Date Dec. 10, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Waterloo
PA-10: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.08 / 4.00 Mat Thijssen
Sustainability Manager
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Positive sustainability investment

Total value of the investment pool:
698,000,000 US/Canadian $

Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
Value of holdings
Sustainable industries (e.g., renewable energy or sustainable forestry) 8,200,000 US/Canadian $
Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g., using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) 0 US/Canadian $
Sustainability investment funds (e.g., a renewable energy or impact investment fund) 0 US/Canadian $
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent 0 US/Canadian $
Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) 0 US/Canadian $
Green revolving funds funded from the endowment 0 US/Canadian $

If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:

The investment is in a publicly traded company focused on renewable power generation and storage (hydroelectric, wind and solar).


Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
1.17

Part 2. Investor engagement

Sustainable investment policy 

Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
---

None
The sustainable investment policy:

https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/institution-wide-esg-guidelines and https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/uw-rip-april-4-2023.pdf


None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes

A brief description of how the sustainable investment policy is applied:

Yes, this is included in the guidelines for selection of investment managers. During the selection process, potential Managers are asked to describe their processes and procedures regarding application of ESG principles within their investment philosophy, the availability of data and or information, and to illustrate their performance in this. The Board has approved two new investment managers/funds selected specifically with ESG factors in mind, one of which is a Sustainability Fund. To date, there have not been investments made into this fund within the Endowment and IQC Special Purpose Trust.


Proxy voting 

Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
No

None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
---

None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
---

Shareholder resolutions 

Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
No

Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
---

Divestment efforts and negative screens

Does the institution participate in a public divestment effort and/or have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
No

A brief description of the divestment effort or negative screens and how they have been implemented:
---

Approximate percentage of endowment that the divestment effort and/or negative screens apply to:
---

Investor networks 

Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:

University of Waterloo is a signatory to the UN PRI and to the Responsible Investment Charter for Canadian University. The Responsible Investment Charter for Canadian Universities’ Technical Committee, made up of representatives from each charter member, meet quarterly to discuss investment strategies, with a specific focus on climate change. 


Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable investment efforts is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The University of Waterloo’s Board of Governors has endorsed a responsible investing approach to reduce the carbon intensity of its investment portfolio by 50% by 2030, and to achieve a carbon neutral portfolio by 2050. The endorsement includes a statement of expectation that, to meet these targets, there would be no meaningful investments in fossil fuels by 2025. This approach is now being integrated into both the Pension & Benefits Committee ongoing decision-making and into the Finance and Investments Committee.


The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.